The Bozeman weekly chronicle. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1883-1889, 1887-05-25
MICKEY FINN'S AMBITION.

MICKEY FINN'S AMBITION.
An ambitious vine watered by drip
pings from the mill roof had climbed
slowly over the caves and embraced the
big chimney, which lowered seventy feet
in the air. The tender feelers of the vino
were shriveled by contact with the bricks
heated by the fiery heat Of the chimney.
Disappointed in its aim to reach the
chimney top, tho vine turned aside and
crept over the shingles to the roof top,
and down the other side, whence it hung
In long fcstoons, dipping its slender fin
gers in the mill race.
The vine was the only living thing
which had tried to climb the chimney
since its erection, and many funeral cor
tege had crossed the long shadow Of the
chimney since that time. The chimney
stood where it does now when Mike Finn
came to CooneyaIsland, and unless an
earthquake topples it over blue smoke
will pour from its mouth by day and red
sparks by night until Mike has gone out
Of sight of tho chimney forever.
1t had been the desire of Mickey Finn
for a long time to climb to the top of the
chimney. He had two motives in trying
to accomplish this dangerous feat. The
first was the desire to excite the envy and
admiration Of his comrades, and the
second that he might stand, If only for
moment, on the highest spot on Cooncy
Island, and look over the goodly land
scape. 1t occurred to him that he might
climb up the inside chimney sweep fash
ion, but when he had worked his way up
twenty feet ono day when the mill was
idle, he slipped and fell to the bottom,
narrowly escaping q broken neck. Still
he cherished the project in his heart as he
passed the mill each day on his way to
school.
Mickey had made more progress In
climbing chestnut trees than he had in
ascending the tree of knowledge. The
schoolmas.er was dissatisfied with his
progress. Although gifted with natur-
ally bright mind, it was hard to make
the boy understand why he should learn
the location of Kamtohatka, and he
seemed Indifferent as to whether the prod
uct of Turks Island was salt or maple
sugar. To his discredit it must be told
that he spent large portion of his time
while at school drawing tall chimneys and
painting the bricks In vivid green and
blue tints. These mimic structures
vomited clouds of chrome yellow smoke,
which, contrasting with the bright tints
of the bricks, produced a most striking
and bizarre effect. However, if Mickey
was dullard in geography and econom-
ical statistics, he was an adept in physics.
He could get the grapvine twist on nn op-
ponent In wrestle, and he was very skill
full at knocking out marbles. Indeed, SO
successful had he been of late that he had
just concluded a bargain with Paddy
Feenan by which, In consideration of sixty
marbles one dodo, and two badly Clipped
glass agates, he purchased whatever right
to title Paddy had in his sister Mary.
This bargain was clinched by Mary when
the transfer of the marbles was made, by
the vow that she would be faithful to
Mickey "forever amen"
The schoolmaster saw that the best way
Of interesting Mickey was by series Of
object lessons which should have local
bearing, and SO, when he called up the
geography class, he asked him to bound
Cooney Island.
"Bounded on TIL sout' by Murray
street." said Mickey glibly, "boupded on
TIL west by Browns pond, bounded on TIL
mort by tn ould Point road, bounded on
tn last by-by-tesn't bounded at all on
tn last; it runs out to n pint"
"What do they grow on Cooney Island2"
"Mostly cabbidges and potatys, and q
few ingyuns, not many"
"What animals do they raise on tn
islandr'
"Well, there's cats. Mrs MCGEE has
four, three little weeny vans that she's
goin' T. put in bag mkt week wild a
stone an have 'em in tn pond. Mrs.
Feeny's big black Tom cat fit wild my dog
Jack, and licked him, but she can't lick
me Billy goat, cause If he wanst got hold
{p har hat rbotr tt,J ho; Lori how l,ao
Mebbe thare's fifty cats on tn island,
countin' tn kittens. I'm goin' t. have
q good many O. thin in my show as soon
as I t'aeh th' billy t. stand on his head.
It'll be only five cints t come in, an -
"Never mind your show, sir. What
other animals are on the islandr'
"Meules. Most iv thin, tho is gone
up tn canal 'ceptin' Paddy Feenan's
blind meule. Hes no good, anyhow, but
fur chewin' hay an kickin the boards off
tn barn. Mebbe kin git him in my
show''--
"1f you say anything more about that
show o. yours I'll warm your jacket. Go
on wild yer story about TIL animals"
"Thare's hosscs, an Jimmy Cooney's
mare as has TIL h'aves. She blows fur
her wind like a l'aky bellers. She's no
good. Ye needn't count her. Mushrats
and mud turlSles is plenty; but ye can't
catch many; they're shy. Ye wouldn't
care fur thin yeserl', but they'll all come
handy fur me whin start my''-
The schoolmaster stepped toward his
scholar with set lips and q ruler in his
hand Mickey, however, anticipated him,
and jumping over two benches he reached
the road peddler's horse passed by him
on a run. A big watermelon rolled out of
the wagon and burst open on the ground.
Mickey picked up a large piece of the
melon, and climbing up on the roof of the
mill, seated himself in the shadow of the
big chimney and began to eat 1t. He was
| soon Joined by his friend Doolan, While
seated ut the foot of the chimney the old
longing Ito climb it came over the boy.
As he looked at the great brick shaft he
saw on the west side of it series of
| spikes driven into the masonry at inter
walls of three feet, extending from the top
to within fifteen feet of the bottom.
"Ill doit," suddenly exclaimed Mickey.
ado what" asked Doolan.
"Climb th' chimbly.''
"You couldn't get up. A fly couldn't" !"
"D'ye see, there's spikess Well git a
long boord an lane it up agin tn chimbly
SO can r'ach TIL first spike. It's 'asy
gittin' up tn rest o. TIL ways"
| Doolan saw, or thought he saw, how
\ easy it would be to reach the top, and he
suddenly conceived the idea that he
would like to do the climbing Mickey,
however, did not wish to give up his
cherished design, but he at last consented,
with provision that he was to go up when
Doolan came down.
"Mind ye now, Doolan, always look up.
II ye look down yen lose yer holt" was
Mickey's parting injunction, as he held
the lower end of the board, up which
| Doolan Skinned to the first spike. Then
Mickey resumed his watermelon.
When Doolan found himself hanging
between earth and heaven his courage
began to ooze. Besides, 1t was very hard
work lifting himself up that brick pile by
means Of slender spikes. When within
fifteen feet of the top he shouted:
/ can't git up any furder. The next
spike is loose"
Mickey stopped cutting out the red
heart of the watermelon and looked up.
"Ah, ahl' shouted he, snet ringly,